South Whidbey Record

Detective placed on leave for assault allegations

A detective with the Island County Sheriff’s Office was placed on administrative leave after being accused of assaulting a citizen during a traffic stop.

Undersheriff Kelly Mauck said the Skagit County Sheriff’s Office will conduct a criminal investigation of the allegation.

The detective, a 13-year-veteran of the department, made the traffic stop in Oak Harbor at about 4 p.m. June 3. Mauck said detectives don’t routinely make traffic stops, but they certainly are able to, especially when they see “something egregious.”

Mauck said the driver was a man in his early 20s. Another detective was a witness to the stop.

Afterward, the driver made a complaint to the sheriff’s office, claiming that the detective had assaulted him.

The detective was placed on administrative leave June 4, pending the outcome of the investigation. After that is complete, the department may undertake an internal investigation.